I Married His Rival After Christmas Betrayal

On Christmas Eve, Niccolo Invernizzi brings me to meet his family for the first time. As the clock nears midnight, I stand up, ready to offer everyone my Christmas wishes, when his childhood sweetheart, Margherita Rossi, beats me to it. She rises from her seat and turns to his Padre, Ivano Invernizzi. "Mr. Invernizzi, thank you for letting me give the Don a son." The Don she's talking about is Niccolo. I freeze. Ivano beams at her. "You've always been kind, and you and Niccolo grew up together. The fact that you're willing to bear his child is a blessing for him. He's the lucky one here." Everyone smiles and nods in agreement, as if there's nothing unusual about any of this. Only after the bells ring does Niccolo finally notice me beside him. "Don't get the wrong idea," he says casually. "Margherita doesn't plan on ever settling down. She just wants a child to keep her company, so I figure I'd help her out. You're different. You have me. Kid or not, it makes no difference." Ivano looks annoyed at me. "It's Christmas Eve, for God's sake. Anyone who tries to make a scene can get the hell out of my house." Margherita laughs brightly. "Come on, everyone. No need to get so worked up. Rebecca has always been understanding. She'd never hold a little thing like this against me." She walks over to me and raises her glass. "If Niccolo and I had something going on, you wouldn't even be sitting here right now. Besides, you can be the baby's godmother. The three of us can raise the child together." I ignore her and turn to Niccolo. He gives me a look that says, "Just go along with it." A bitter taste surges into my throat. Suddenly, I realize how pointless it all is. I pull out my phone and text Niccolo's rival. "Nathan, is the marriage proposal still on the table?" He replies instantly, "Of course. As long as you want, the Rinaldi family will always welcome you. Whatever resources the Invernizzi family can offer you, I'll give you twice as much." "Good. I'll meet you at the city hall in three days. I'll bring everything that belongs to me, too."